All in one gutter system

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of the invention provides for a gutter. The gutter includes a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion, and an attachment feature for hanging or securing an item to the gutter. In another embodiment, the invention provides for a gutter system. The gutter system includes a gutter and a mounting device. The gutter includes a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion, an attachment feature for hanging or securing an item to the gutter, and a channel in the rear portion of the gutter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/784,882, entitled “ALL IN ONEGUTTER,” filed Mar. 22, 2006, which is hereby incorporated in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to gutters and gutter systems,and more particularly, the present invention relates to gutters andgutter systems that facilitate the hanging and securing of items,articles, and accessories to the gutter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that gutter systems are utilized to collect waterrunoff from rooftops of structures and to direct such water runoff intoor onto the ground surrounding the structure. Gutter systems may be usedwith many types of structures such as, for example, residential homes,warehouses, industrial buildings, commercial buildings, and the like.Rainfall and melting snow are common sources of water runoff collectedfrom rooftops. The collection and redirection of water from rooftopsserves a very important function. Excess water settling on rooftops maylead to significant damage to a rooftop. For example, standing water mayresult in leaks forming in a rooftop, which in turn may lead tosignificant damage to the interior of a structure. In addition, waterthat is not properly redirected from the rooftop into or onto the groundmay cause significant damage. For example, water that pools or collectsat the base of a structure may lead to damage to the foundation or wallsof the structure. In another example, water that is improperly directedfrom rooftops may settle on pedestrian or vehicle pathways, which mayresult in hazardous conditions on such pathways for pedestrians orvehicles.

There is a continuing need to improve the design and functionality ofgutters and gutter systems. Although prior art gutter designs aregenerally effective, such designs are susceptible to a number ofunwanted conditions and results. For example, gutters are typicallyattached to structures through the use of bolts. The head of such anattachment bolt typically remains exposed upon attachment and is visibleto observers. Under such conditions, if the head of a bolt does notcomplement the color or appearance of the gutter, an unattractive orotherwise displeasing appearance may result.

Another unwanted condition is the collection of leaves or other suchdebris that enter a gutter, causing blockages and clogs in the gutter ordownspouts. Such blockages often impede the flow of water throughgutters and downspouts and result in water overflowing from the gutteror downspout at the point at which the debris collects. Such overflowsmay cause damage to rooftops by allowing water to pool on a rooftop,leading to leaks and damage to the interior of the structure. Inaddition, a blockage may cause water to overflow onto unwanted areas,such as pedestrian or vehicle pathways. For gutters utilized in colderclimates, similar damage and unwanted results may occur when waterfreezes in gutters or downspouts. In addition to overflows due to such“ice damns,” the expansion of water upon freezing may cause structuraldamage to gutters and downspouts.

Gutters and gutter systems are commonly used in residential homes.Homeowners often desire to utilize gutters to hang, secure, or otherwisedisplay items or articles, such as holiday lights, holiday decorations,plants, and the like. In addition, homeowners may desire to utilizegutters to secure practical items, such as television cable wiring,satellite television wiring, or other such wiring for utilities.However, prior art gutters do not readily provide a means for attachmentof such items and articles.

As discussed herein, prior art gutters and gutter systems aresusceptible to a number of unwanted conditions and results; therefore,there exists a need in the art for apparatus and methods to improvegutters and gutter systems.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention provides for a gutter. The gutterincludes a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion, and anattachment feature for hanging or securing an item to the gutter. Inanother embodiment, the invention provides for a gutter system. Thegutter system includes a gutter and a mounting device. The gutterincludes a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion, anattachment feature for hanging or securing an item to the gutter, and achannel in the rear portion of the gutter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, embodiments of the invention areillustrated, which, together with a general description of the inventiongiven above and the detailed description given below, serve toillustrate the principles of this invention. The drawings and detaileddescription are not intended to and do not limit the scope of theinvention or the claims in any way. Instead, the drawings and detaileddescription only describe embodiments of the invention, and otherembodiments of the invention not described are encompassed by theclaims.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gutter arranged in accordance withthe present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a side view of a mounting device for use with the gutter ofFIG. 1 and arranged in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Detailed Description of the Invention merely describes preferredembodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope ofthe claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as described by the claimsis broader than and unlimited by the preferred embodiments, and theterms in the claims have their full ordinary meaning.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments as illustrated inthe accompanying figures. FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of agutter 10 in accordance with the present invention. The gutter 10includes a front portion 12, a rear portion 14, a bottom portion 16, anda top portion 18. The top portion 18 includes a forward section 18Aextending from the front portion 12, a rearward section 18B extendingfrom the rear portion 14, and an opening 20 extending between theforward section 18A to the rearward section 18B.

The gutter 10 is arranged to be attached to or otherwise secured to ahome, building, or other such structure. Typically, the gutter 10 issecured to a structure such that the rear portion 14 is facing thestructure, the front portion 12 is exposed and unencumbered, and thegutter 10 is located generally proximate to the roofline of thestructure. When the gutter 10 is attached in such a manner, water runoffflows from the rooftop, over the rearward section 18B of the top portion18, through the opening 20 in the top portion 18, and into the gutter10. Water then typically travels along the interior of the gutter 10 toa downspout (not shown), where it is then carried into or onto theground surrounding the building.

The gutter 10 may be constructed or fabricated from any type ofmaterial, provided the material has sufficient structural integrity toallow the gutter 10 to be secured to a building and carry water from therooftop of such a building. In one embodiment, the gutter 10 may beconstructed or fabricated from a plastic material. Any fabricationmethod may be used to form a plastic gutter. For example, a plasticgutter may be fabricated by extrusion, molding, vacuum forming, or thelike. In another embodiment, a gutter 10 may be constructed orfabricated from a metal such as, for example, copper or aluminum. Anyfabrication method may be used to form a metal gutter. For example, ametal gutter may be fabricated by stamping, cutting, drawing, casting,or the like.

Gutters 10 may be fabricated in a variety of colors or with a variety ofsurface treatments to create a visually pleasing gutter 10 thatcomplements various aesthetic features of structures. For example,plastic gutters may be formed from dyed or tinted raw materials. Colorsmay be chosen to compliment common colors of vinyl siding used forresidential homes. Metal gutters may be coated or painted to similarlycompliment siding used for residential homes. In another example, ametal gutter may be fabricated from copper to compliment the exterior ofa home with a copper roof or accents.

In an embodiment, the front portion 12 of the gutter 10 is arranged toinclude an attachment feature 22. The attachment feature 22 may bearranged to hang or secure a variety of items or articles. As shown inFIG. 1, the attachment feature 22 may be an aperture with an openingalong the perimeter of the aperture. As also shown in FIG. 1, the gutter10 may include multiple attachment features 22 along the front portion12 of the gutter 10. Although three attachment features 22 are shown inFIG. 1, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art thatany number of attachment features 22 may be practiced with thisinvention.

The attachment features 22 may be sized and arranged to accommodate avariety of articles and items. In an embodiment, the attachment features22 are sized and shaped to receive cable or wiring strung along thefront portion 12 of the gutter 10. In such an embodiment, the cable orwiring could be, for example, a fiber optic strand, a heating coil forde-icing the gutter, strands of holiday lighting or decorations,television cable or satellite television wiring, a gutter accent strip,or the like. With regard to holiday lights and decorations, the use ofattachment features 22 with a gutter 10 eliminates the need to hang suchstrands of items from a gutter with unsightly hooks or clips. In anotherembodiment, an attachment feature 22 may be arranged to secure an accentstrip to the front portion 12 of the gutter 10. It will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art that the attachment features 22may be sized and shaped to accept any articles or items that can be hungfrom or strung along the front portion 12 of the gutter 10.

Where the gutter 10 is arranged to include multiple attachment features22 in the front portion 12 of the gutter 10, each individual attachmentfeature 22 may have a different size or shape to accommodate or receivea different sized or shaped article or item. For example, one attachmentfeature 22 may be specifically sized and shaped to secure satellitetelevision wiring, while another attachment feature 22 may bespecifically sized and shaped to secure a strand of holiday lights. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, an attachment feature 22 may have a generallycircular cross-section and include an opening 24 that is smaller thanthe diameter of that circular cross-section. In such an arrangementitems or articles may be “snapped into” the attachment feature 22 byforcing the item or article through the opening 24 into the attachmentfeature 22. Once snapped into the attachment feature 22, the item orarticle is secured from falling out of the attachment feature 22 whilemaintaining the ability to be adjusted laterally with respect to thefront portion 12 of the gutter 10.

The top portion 18 of the gutter may 10 include a pair of slots 26A and26B located proximate to the forward section 18A and rearward section18B respectively. The slots 26A and 26B may be sized and shaped toreceive or otherwise accommodate gutter accessories. In an embodiment,the slots 26A and 26B are sized and shaped to receive a device toprevent leaves and other such debris from flowing into the gutter 10.For example, the slots 26A and 26B may be sized and shaped such that aperforated cap or leaf guard may be secured within the slots 26A and26B. Such cap or guard may allow water to flow into the gutter 10 anddownspout but prevent debris from entering the gutter 10 and downspouts.Such an arrangement may limit or eliminate blockages in the gutter 10and downspout due to the collection of debris.

In an embodiment, the slots 26A and 26B are sized and shaped to acceptedges of the cap or guard to secure the cap or guard to the gutter 10.The cap or guard may be installed by sliding the edges of the cap orguard into the slots 26A and 26B along the length of the gutter 10. Theslots 26A and 26B may be arranged such that they are large enough toallow the edges of the cap or guard to slide freely along the length ofthe gutter 10 yet prevent the edges of the cap or guard from beingeasily dislodging from the slots 26A and 26B. For example, the slots 26Aand 26B may be 1/16 inch wide to accommodate a leaf guard fabricatedfrom sheet metal. Although two slots 26A and 26B are described andillustrated, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the artthat any number of slots can be used herewith.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bottom portion 16 of the gutter 10 mayalso include an attaching feature 28. The illustrated attaching feature28 includes a slot or groove 30 and an opening 32 that is smaller thanthe groove 30. The attachment feature 28 is arranged such that articlesor items may be hung from the feature 28. For example, the attachmentfeature 28 may be arranged to receive or otherwise secure articles anditems such as holiday lights, holiday decorations, plants, hooks, wires,cables, and the like. Although one attaching feature 28 is illustratedand described, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the artthat any number of attaching features can be included. A gutter 10 mayinclude a single attachment feature 28 or a plurality of attachmentfeatures 28 located along the bottom portion 16 of the gutter 10. Thegutter 10 may be arranged such that a single attachment feature 28extends along the length of the bottom portion 16 of the gutter 10;multiple attachment features 28 extend along the length of the bottomportion 16 of the gutter 10; or a plurality of attachment feature 28,which do not extend the length of the gutter 10, are located along thebottom portion 16 of the gutter 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates a mounting device 40 for mounting a gutter 10 to ahome, building, or other such structure. In an embodiment, the mountingdevice 40 is attached to a horizontal board secured to the face of theeave of a building, i.e., a fascia board. The mounting device 40 mayinclude an aperture 42, through which a fastener may pass to secure themounting device 40 to a fascia board. The fastener may be a screw, nail,bolt, or any such fastener capable of securing the mounting device 40 tothe fascia board. The mounting device 40 may be manufactured orfabricated from plastic, metal, or any material capable of providing thestructural support for mounting a gutter 10 to a building. The aperture42 may be formed during the fabrication of the mounting device 40 or maybe formed during a post-manufacturing process.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the gutter 10 may include a channel 44located in the rear portion 14 to engage the mounting device 40. Theengagement of the channel 44 to a mounting device 40 secured to a fasciaboard allows the gutter 10 to be secured to a building. In anembodiment, the mounting device 40 is a clip arranged to snap into thechannel 44. The channel 44 may be sized and shaped to receive and matewith a mounting device 40 to facilitate the securing of a gutter 10 to abuilding. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting device 40 may include a tab46 sized and shaped to fit into a recess 48 in the channel 44. The body50 of the mounting device 40 is sized and shaped to fit into theremaining portion of the channel 44. Such an arrangement results in amounting device 40 capable of being “snapped into” and “snapped out of”the channel 44, thus resulting in a system that easily secures gutters10 to buildings in a sturdy and reversible manner. In addition, such anarrangement results in the gutter 10 abutting the fascia board along asurface 52 of the rear portion 14. Such an abutment limits or eliminateswater seepage between the gutter 10 and the fascia board and providesfor an improved gutter system. Although the mounting device 40 andchannel 44 are described as including a tab 46 and recess 48 tofacilitate engagement, it will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art that alternative features may be included to facilitateengagement, and the shape of the tab 46 and recess 48 as shown in thefigures is not intended to be limiting in any way. Alternatively, agutter 10 may be attached directly to a building without the use of amounting device, or a gutter 10 may be secured to a mounting devicethrough a fastener or other equivalent means.

The gutter 10 may be manufactured or fabricated in a variety of lengths.For example, a gutter 10 may be fabricated in 20-foot sections. In sucharrangements, the gutter 10 can be cut to fit a section of a buildingthat is less than 20 feet in length. If, on the other hand, the lengthrequired is greater than 20 feet, two sections of gutter 10 can becoupled together to form a section greater than 20 feet in length.Coupling of gutter sections may be facilitated by neoprene rubber jointsattached to both sections of gutter. The neoprene rubber joint maycreate a water-sealed joint between the two sections to facilitate thedirecting of water to a downspout and onto or into the groundsurrounding a building.

1. A gutter comprising: a front portion; a rear portion; a bottomportion; and an attachment feature for securing an item to said gutter.2. The gutter of claim 1, wherein said attachment feature is located insaid front portion of said gutter.
 3. The gutter of claim 2, whereinsaid attachment feature has an internal diameter and includes anopening.
 4. The gutter of claim 3, wherein said opening of saidattachment feature is smaller than said internal diameter of saidattachment feature.
 5. The gutter of claim 2 further comprising aplurality of attachment features located in said front portion of saidgutter.
 6. The gutter of claim 1, wherein said attachment feature islocated in said bottom portion of said gutter.
 7. The gutter of claim 6,wherein said attachment feature comprises a groove and an opening. 8.The gutter of claim 7, wherein said opening is smaller than said groove.9. The gutter of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of attachmentfeatures located in said bottom portion of said gutter.
 10. The gutterof claim 1 further comprising a top portion, wherein said top portioncomprises: a forward section; a rearward section; and an openingextending between said forward and rearward sections.
 11. The gutter ofclaim 10, wherein said forward section includes a first slot and saidrearward section includes a second slot.
 12. The gutter of claim 1,wherein said rear portion includes a channel.
 13. A gutter systemcomprising: a gutter comprising: a front portion; a rear portion; abottom portion; an attachment feature for securing a item to saidgutter; and a channel in said rear portion; and a mounting device. 14.The gutter system of claim 13, wherein said channel is sized to receivesaid mounting device.
 15. The gutter system of claim 13, wherein saidchannel includes a recess and said mounting device includes a tab. 16.The gutter system of claim 15, wherein said recess is sized to receivesaid tab.
 17. The gutter system of claim 13, wherein said mountingdevice includes an aperture.